4 1/2 Month Old Diet

Hi L.. The doctors told us the same thing. But with both of my kids it didn't seem to satisfy them for long. My doctor suggested a diet of alternating feedings (breast and bottle) that worked well for the first couple of months. Then the baby would hungry again after only a short time. We started with rice cereal mixed in the bottle. Just a small amount so it could be sucked through the bottle. It was just what was needed. We didn't start with fruits and veggies until the baby was taking the cereal thicker and from a spoon. As of now, both are very healthy and enjoy a varied diet, from broccoli to watermelon!

If you feel she is not being satisfied just with the bottle, introduce some rice cereal to her...more on the water-y side at first.

Hi L.,

Most of the time the first food is cereal, usually rice, which is mixed with formula or breast milk. I know some parents who began adding cereal to bottles as early as six weeks and others who have waited until 6 months.

Personally, both my girls started cereal arround 3 months, with fruits and veggies being added at 5 to 6 months. It's very important to only introduce one type of food at a time to check for allergies.

it sounds like shes on the right track....most doctors will say not to start babies on solids until 6 months but ive heard a few doctors say you can start them at 4 months. if it seems like your daughter is not getting enough to eat then maybe give her some cereal but its up to you whether you want to introduce solids to her i started giving my daughter solids at like 5 months just make sure you do one food at a time for a few days for food allergies

Hi L.-
This is just my experience with my 4 month old son, every baby is different. He is a big boy, almost 18 pounds, and very hungry, that is why I started him on single grain rice cereal. Just about a tablespoon mixed with formula. I make it very, very thin to prevent choking. I have also given him a teaspoon of stage one sweet potato. Any time I have given him something I only introduce one new food for about a week to make sure he is not allergic. If you look online there are certain things a baby should be able to do before you introduce food, like for example hold their head up. Do some reading, see what you feel comfortable with. Good luck!

Wait until 6 months as a general guideline for milestone. The baby's digestive system may not be ready for solid food. If you really want to feed her like testing her eating ability, feed her with very little mushy baby apple sauce like a small dot on her baby spoon. Take it as a small baby desert with a couple of dots of apple sauce after a full meal of baby formula. Once you see your baby is not swallowing, use your clean finger to swipe it out of her mouth before taking any chance of choking. If tilting her head down and patting her back cannot stop her coughing, you grabb both of her feet, lift up her body with her head hanging down, and gently shake her up and down to dislodge anything inside her throat. You see going through so much for testing her eating ability may not be worth trying. You would be better off to wait until the baby turns 6 months old. Some babies may not be ready until 8 or 10 months old. In general, it is safer to follow your doctor's order.

I wonder if your doc told you to wait because she's on the gentlease formula? Normally doctors want you to start between 4 and 6 months, so by 6 months they will have at least tried some solid food. My baby girl was 22 days early and we started her eating around 4.5 months. It was obvious she wanted food, and once she started, she's been LOVING IT. She always watched us eat, and tried to take food away from us (as well as opening her mouth wide). She even likes to sip from a cup. She's a breastfed baby and just turned 5 months on the 4th. She's been fed cereal from 4.5 months and now she's up to carrots and oatmeal. She's had rice cereal, oatmeal, sweet potatoes, peas and now the carrots (and in that order). She is MADLY IN LOVE with carrots. I'm very glad I started feeding her foods -- she absolutely loves it and is growing leaps and bounds daily. I was nervous to start it, but glad I did. She did start to take less milk from me, but I think it is partially because she is teething and it hurts her gums.

Good luck with this fun time. Ask your doc for clarification (ie if it is because of the type of formula). The majority of things I see and read say to make sure you start before 6 months (but not before 4).

They really don't have the digestive enzymes to handle solids until they are older. Also, their jaws are not developed in such a way to properly chew their foods. The most updated research says no solids until six months, that's the American Academy of Pediatrics' stance too. That said, it's a really personal choice, a lot of kids get fed solids early and are fine.
Good luck!
best,
E..

You can start her on cereal if she is showing she's waking up more frequently at night because of being hungry. I had to start all three of my boys on cereal at night at 3 months because they were hungrier and that is fine. As long as she can hold her head up and her neck is strong enough to hold her head up, then you have no problem. Follow the instructons on the baby cereal and go from ther and any more questions ask and we will help you more if you ned to. Then when they are 6 mohs you can give baby food or puree the food for her which is better but timewise is taken into consideration too. I will pray for Jesus's Wisdom for you if you ask Him....

Your daughter is an individual, unique person. So... before you make a decision - Is she hungry? Is the formula satisfying her? Is she crying for more? Is she growing properly? If the answers to the above questions point to feeding her solids - feed her solids. Otherwise the formula is nutritionally complete and you have nothing to worry about. My 1st daughter was fed solids at 3 1/2 months when she was going through 64 oz of formula a day and still seemed hungry. My 2nd daughter didn't get solids until 5 1/2 months because she was satisfied.

Dear L.,

The fact that doctors say no food until 6 months is ridiculous to me. I have raised two kids 24 and 19 and gave them both cereal and fruit by 2 months old and they are fine. Doctors go by guidelines and studies that change daily. Each baby is different, if you have a larger baby common sense tells you they are going to be hungrier then a tiny baby. I say if your baby's bottle feeding are becoming more frequent and she is not sleeping well at night she is hungry so feed her. Studies change daily what I did 24 years ago apparently is not acceptable today. I say tell the doctors to be on a liquid diet for six months and see how they feel. People come in all different shapes and sizes and so do babies. Bottom line is you have to be the one to make the decisions on what is right for your baby so if you think its time for him to eat then do it.

Your daughter is still an infant, so the formula is enough for her little system. I would not introduce any fruits or veggies until after six months, and even then, I would start with baby cereal only until you see how she handles that. She's a baby, so just take baby steps. :) Good luck.
D.

L., If your baby is on Gentlease she must have some tummy issues. When a baby starts eating solids we always begin with Rice ceral, not fruit or veggies which are much harder on their bellies. Every baby is different and unique, yours may need to have more than the formula, why do you think she is ready? Have you seen signs of her wanting more food? Unless she is demanding more formula all the time you shouldhold off like the doctor told you. Her belly needs time to mature.

you can definitely start her with cooked fruits, and in a few weeks veggies. cooked apples work best at first, they are easy to digest. you can start with very small quantities, like cook one slice of apple and give her a little bit with a spoon, the first few days/weeks, the exercise is more to get her used to the spoon and not so much for nutritional purposes. you can also give her rice or oatmeal cereal mixed with breastmilk or formula. at the beginning the ratio of cereal to milk should be 1 tbsp to 5 tbsp. you will make it thicker as she gets used to the spoon.
Good first foods: apples, pears, sweet potatoes, carrots (though they can be constapating). when you intorduce a new food, just give that for 3 days before introducing another food to make sure the baby does not have alergies to it.
it's best to buy your own organic fruits and cook them (boil, steam), that way you know exactly what she is eating and know that there are no preesrvatives and extra sugars which you get with most jars. If you want to go with a jar, earth's best is pretty good.

I think you answered your own question.....the Dr says nothing until 6 months. (That is the general recommendation....a baby only needs breastmilk/formula for the first 6 months....nothing else.) Relax and enjoy this time before introducing food.

Hi L.,
There really isnt' any need for food. While parents think it is fun to feed baby food to a baby, it doesn't actually offer any nutrition that their breastmilk or formula doesn't. The AAP's recommendations for solids is 6 months of age, so doctors aren't pulling this number out of nowhere - if a doctor is recommending something different, he is just making a number up and not following the suggested guidelines of the American Academy of Pediatrics.
While plenty of parents do start their babies on solids younger, it really doesn't do anything to benefit the baby.
Good luck

M.

While starting food can be a fun experience it is also a lot of work. Listen to the doc and wait till 6 months. Your not depriving yourself or baby of anything by waiting another month or so. When it is time, get that camera ready!

There is no need to start a baby this young on anything other then cereal. They still have the reflex to push food out of the mouth instead of to the back of the mouth. Food isn't going to make her sleep longer and it isn't going to make her eat less formula. I wouldn't start her on anything like fruits and veggies until 6 mos.

Hi L.,
I would wait until 6 months if that is what the doc said. However, If your baby is showing signs of wanting to eat (opening mouth when your eating, grabbing at your utensils, waking up or acting more hungry) along with sitting up, holding head up etc. you might start with some rice cereal once a day. In the beginning it is just for fun and exploration. Remember that their formula/bmilk is the most important source of nutrients. I started my daughter at 5.5 months b/c she seemed ready. We are going really slow and staying mellow. It is a lot more work like some others have said.I recommend waiting if you can but do what you feel is right for your little one.

I believe the American Academy of Pediatrics recommends breastmilk (or formula) only for the first 6 months. I would follow your child's doctor's recommendations. What are your reasons for wanting to start solids so early?

If the doc says no than you should stay away. The doc knows your little one better than we do. Early feedings can cause an array of digestive and allergy problems.

While people may have done things differently years ago, we now know much more about babies than we used to. No need to be in any hurry!

Listen to your doctor. 4 1/2 months is too early. And really there is no rush. Formula/Breastmilk is the main source of nutrition for babies for the entire first year.

L. your little one sounds like she is doing fine. As long as she is content I would follow you Mds advice. My MD was the same way and my daughter did not start solids until 6 months. She is doing great as we make our way through the fruits now. I know that some pediatricians will say it is OK to start solids earlier but I think that is for babies that are not satisfied with just formul and are eating way more that 40 oz a day. Good luck if you do decide to start solids start off with rice cereal as is is least likely to cause any kind of allergic reation (then oatmeal, barley, and mixed in that order for 1 week each) and of course call your Ped's office and let them know you are trying the cereal so they can advise you too. After all cereals are tried they say to move onto veggies (yellow first then green) and then fruits as if you start with fruits it is believed babies won't like/eat the veggies. Best of luck with what you decide. Again with each new veggie/fruit allow 2-3 days in between to try another new thing of course this is after all cereals are tried out.